(a) Except as provided in § 20-365, no person shall be licensed as a sanitarian who does not prove to the satisfaction of the commissioner that such person holds a degree from an accredited college or university following four years of study and has two years of full-time experience, or the equivalent, in the field of environmental health acceptable to the commissioner. An applicant who successfully completes a special training course in environmental health approved by the commissioner may substitute such course for six months of such required experience in the field of environmental health. The applicant shall also be required to pass a written or oral examination in the science of environmental health as determined by the commissioner. An applicant for licensure shall not be required to be licensed while completing the work experience requirements of this section, provided, on and after January 1, 1998, such experience shall be completed under the supervision of a sanitarian licensed pursuant to this chapter or licensed, certified or registered in the jurisdiction in which such experience was completed.

(b) (1) Any individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the commissioner determine whether such individual’s criminal conviction disqualifies the individual from obtaining a license issued or conferred by the commissioner under this chapter based on (A) the nature of the conviction and its relationship to the individual’s ability to safely or competently perform the duties or responsibilities associated with such license, (B) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the individual, and (C) the time elapsed since the conviction or release of the individual.

(2) An individual making such request shall include (A) details of the individual’s criminal conviction, and (B) any payment required by the commissioner. The commissioner may charge a fee of not more than fifteen dollars for each request made under this subsection. The commissioner may waive such fee.

(3) Not later than thirty days after receiving a request under this subsection, the commissioner shall inform the individual making such request whether, based on the criminal record information submitted, such individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a license issued pursuant to this chapter.

(4) The commissioner is not bound by a determination made under this section, if, upon further investigation, the commissioner determines that the individual’s criminal conviction differs from the information presented in the determination request.